Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;homer&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Homer’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with orange ray florets and good branching; natural season flower date August 16-23; blooming for a period of 6 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Homer’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 16-23; blooming for a period of 6 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Homer’ is is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, which was set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlans in 2001. The first act of asexual production of ‘Homer’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlans, and propagated further at this location. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlans under natural day length and temperature and planted week 24 in 2004. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 16-23 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 25 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized orange blooms flowering for a period of 6 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivars in comparison to ‘Homer’ are ‘Beryl’ (U.S. Plant Patent pending) and ‘Hector’ (U.S. Plant Patent pending). When ‘Homer’, ‘Beryl’ and ‘Hector’ are being compared the following similarities and differences are noticed: All three varieties have medium sized decorative type orange blooms. The differences of ‘Homer’ and ‘Beryl’ and ‘Hector’ are (1) Number of ray-florets. ‘Homer’ has a higher number of ray-florets than ‘Beryl’ and ‘Hector’. (2) Size of bloom. Because of this high number in ‘Homer’, its blooms are large and more spherical shaped than those in ‘Beryl’ and ‘Hector’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Homer’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995. TABLE 1 Botanical Description of chrysanthemum plant ‘HOMER’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.5 cm, height 0.5 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 145D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among disc-florets Not present Involucral bracts color Green 138A-138B Bloom Type Decorative Height 2 cm Size Medium Fully Expanded 5.5 cm Peduncle length 6-7 cm Peduncle color Green 139C Number of blooms per branch Approx. 6 blooms per branch Performance on the plant 6 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Greyed-orange 171B Mature Greyed-orange 168B Color of upper surface of the ray- Yellow-orange 17D overlain with florets Greyed-orange 167C Color of the lower surface of the Greyed-orange 164C overlain with ray-florets Greyed- orange 167C Tonality from Distance A garden mum with orange flowers Discoloration to color Greyed-yellow 162B with Greyed-orange 164B Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 280-300 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of majority Straight Length of corolla tube 0.5 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2.5 cm Ray-floret width 0.6 cm Ratio length/width Medium Shape of tip Dentate Disc florets Absent Receptacle shape Conical raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Absent Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 4 mm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spherical and spreading Growth rate Medium Height 30 cm Width 35 cm Stem Color Green 138B with streaks of Greyed-red 182B Stem Strength Medium Stem Brittleness Brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Present Internode length 2-2 5. cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 13 cm Lateral branch color Green 138B-138C Lateral branch, attachment Weak Branching (average number of Good with 8-10 breaks after lateral branches) pinching Natural season blooming date August 16-23 Foliage Leaf color Upper side Green 138A Lower side Green 138B Color midvein Upper side Green 139D Lower side Yellow-green 148D Size Medium; length 4-6 cm, width 2.5-4 cm Quantity (number per lateral 20 branch) Shape Obovate Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Between Rounded Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Lateral Diverging Lobes Shape of Base Acute-obtuse Apex Mucronulate Petiole lenght 1-2 cm Petiole color Green 139D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison varieties ‘Homer’ ‘Beryl’ ‘Hector’ Bloom type Decorative Decorative Decorative Color upper side Yellow-orange 17D and Orange Orange- ray-florets Greyed-orange 167C 26C red 34C Number of ray-florets 280-300 250 250 Size of bloom 5.5 cm 4.5 cm 5.5. cm 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 